Cold-storage structure



(No Model.) A whom-sheen 1. 0.`H. BURNHAM & J. J. 'MEYERS'l GOLD STORAGE STRUCTURE.

Patented Feb. 20, 18794.

u fer6 (No Mmm.) 2 sheets-shed; 2. 0. H..BURNHAM 8v J. J. MEYERS.

GOLD STORAGE STRUCTURE.

No: 515,285. Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

NITED STATES strani OZRO H. BURNHAM, OF OAKLAND, AND JOHN J. MEYERS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COLD=STORAGE STRUCTURE.

SPECIFICATION forming partvof Letters Patent UNO. 515,285, dated February 20, 1894.

Application filed October 5, 1893. Serial No. 487,241. (No model.)

.To all whom it r11/wy concern.-

Be it known that we, OzRo H. BURNHAM, residing at Oakland, and JOHN J. MEYERS,

residing at San Francisco, State of California,

citizens of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cold-Storage Structures, dre., of which the following isa specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved and economical systenrof 'alternate or combined refrigeration and ventilation in cold storage structures; to promote a free and easily controlled circulation of pure and dry cold air currents in the storage or preserving chamber; to prevent accumulations of moisture in and adjacent to the ice receptacle, thereby economizing the consumption of ice; and to improve generally the con` struction of refrigerators, cooling apparatus and cold storage chambers or warerooms for preservation of perishable goods.

The invention consists in the features of construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts in a cold storage structure as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention-Figure lis a vertical section, from front to rear, of a refrigerator or cold storage ware room or structure embodying our im.- provements. Fig. 2 is a perspective of a cold storage structure or refrigerator having a modified form of outer casing suitable for market stores, dairies, restaurants, tbc., and showing the upper portion of the front of the casing partly broken away to'eXpose the interior with one of the valves for controlling the circulation of air for refrigeration or ventilation of the storage chamber.

The top, bottoni, side and end walls of our refrigerator or cold storage structure may each be made complete in itself with permanent corner sections l capable of having a detachable air tight connection, by tongue and groove or rabbet joint, with the similar corner section of an adjacent part or side to form a knockdown structure of the character described in Letters Patent No. 471,944 granted to us March 29, 1892. structure, and also the top and bottom or oor, comprises, besides the corner sections l, several thicknesses of the best kiln dried Each wall of the` board 2, parafline paper 3 and mineral wool packing 4V with intervening air. spaces 5, 1f desired. The corner sections l and boards 2 in each part are permanently connected in such manner as to inclose the intermediate air spaces, mineral wool and paraffine paper and make of each composite part, (top, bottom or side as the case may be) a complete insulated section capable of being detach- 6o ably connected at the joints 6, Fig. vl, with the other similar wall sections so that the entire structure will be effectively insulated and made air tight and capable of being readily taken apart and packed in a small space for transportation or when not required for immediate use.

In the upper part ot' the cold Astorage structure or refrigerator casing 7 are bearings 8 for the transverse beams or girders 9 on which 7o are supported the longitudinally arranged slats l0 that form the bottom of the ice rack. The sides of the ice rack 1l are composed of longitudinally arranged slats 12 secured in vertical series to the inner sides of double ported on the girders 9 and are extended 8o downward between and beneath the same to connect with the sides of a drip tray l5 arranged below the girders and ice rack. To the outer sides of the vertical double partitions 13 are secured upright braces 16 thatV 85 serve to strengthenr the said partitions and are also extended down between the girders 9 to assist in supporting the drip tray.

The drip tray or pan l5 is constructed in two opposite downwardly and inwardly inclined 9o sides the outer edges of which have a perfectly air tight connection with the lower ends of the partitions 13 so as to make it impossible for any cold air to pass over the edges of said pan or tray and thereby interfere with or check the required circulation which is essential to the maintenance of dry air currents in the proper direction through the refrigerating or cold storage apparatus. This drip pan or tray 15 is preferably made of double thickroo ness, with perforations at the sides and in the outer or lower thickness to permit a free circulation of dry air between the inner and outer linings or thicknesses and thus prevent condensation on the bottom of the pan. In the center of the drip tray or pan, between its two opposite downwardly and inwardly inclined sides, is a longitudinal opening or space constituting a cold air iue or passage 17 for the cold air to pass down into the storage or preserving chamber 18 from the ice rack or refrigerating compartment occupying the upper part of the structure.

Above the cold air flue 17 is adrainage hood 19 supported on brackets 2O resting on theV inside of the drip tray bottom. The hood19 1s constructed of double thickness with a hollow ventilated interior similar to the construction of the drip pan and is provided with a zinc or galvanized iron covering 21 extended out beyond the body of the hood a sufficientI distance to prevent water from backing up under the hood and dripping into the storage chamber. Between the vdrip pan or tray 15 and the under sides of the girders 9, beneath the ice rack 11, is a space 22 several lnches indepth at the outer sides and grad ually increasing toward the center by the incline downward and inward of the two opposite sides of the drip tray. Through this space 22 the drip from the melting ice in the ice rack falls onto the hood 19 and drip tray l5 and is conducted thence through converging drainage pipes 23 connected with a trap 24 having an escape pipe 25 leading to the outside of the refrigerating structure.

The trap 24 may be provided with a valve or cock 26 and is so arranged as to allow the drip or drainage water to escape freely and yet retain the cold air.

Between the ice rack 11 and the top and front and rear walls of the refrigerator casing is a curved partition 27 havingits central top portion extended upward in the form of a double incline 28 which is arranged to project partly into an inverted funnel shaped ventilator opening 29 in the top of the refrigerator. The curved partition 27 divides the space between the ice rack 11 and the refrigerator walls into inner warm air flues 30, leading from the preserving or storage chamber 18 upward and over into the ice rack, and outer Ventilating iues 31 leading from the preserving or storage chamber to the ventilator opening 29 in the top of the structure. To the opposite lower ends of the partition 27 are hinged shutters or flap valves 32 arranged to control the ypassage of air through the fines 30 and 3l for alternate refrigeration or ventilation of the preserving or storage chamber 18 or for a combined refrigeration and ventilation of said chamber, as'may be required. The valves 32 may be shifted outward across the lines 31 for closing the latter and causing all the air currents from the preserving` or storage chamber to pass upward through the kinner fiues 30 and over the partitions 13 into the ice rack or refrigerating compartment and thence downward beneath the hood 19 and through the centrally arranged cold air flue 17 into the preserving orstorage chamber, thus keeping up a constant circulation of pure, dry cold air. The outward shifting of the valve 32 is preferably effected by employing ordinary spring hinges to connect the valves with the partitions, such spring hinges tendingV to constantly press the springs 32 outward or across the fines 3l. When the valves 32 are shifted inward in such amanner as to close the flues 30 and open the ventilating ues 3l air from the preserving or storage chamber 18 will be permitted to pass out through said fines 3l to and through the ventilator opening 29 thus Ventilating the structure and removing any warm moist air that it may khave contained. One of the valves 32- may be leftopen and the :other closed so as to permit ventilation from one side of the storage chamber at the' same time that circulation is kept up betweenthe' storage chamber and the ice receptacle.

rlhe valves 32 may be regulated by means of vertically arranged levers 33 attached to the lower outer portions ofthe-partitions 13 in position to be operated from the inside of the storage chamber. At their upper ends these levers are connected by chains pr rods 3l with the lower edges ofthe valvesand the said levers and chains or rodsare so arranged that byV raising or lowering the levers the valves can be shifted inward or'outward, as desired. 'lhelevers 33 may be provided with ratchet teeth 35 for lengaging'. anysuitable catch 36 to hold them in adjusted position.

It will be observed that when the ventilating ues 31 are closed there isan entirely free circulation of dry cold air around the ice or refrigerantl at top, bottom, sides and ends. The ice receptacle or rack isiso constructed that the ice will nowhereftouch a perfectly fiat or smooth unbroken surface. A free circulation of coid,'d-ry air is thus-permitted and accumulations of moisture prevented at any point. The ventilated andinsulated construction'of the drip tray and its hood isl also such` as to .prevent accumulations of moisture and: assista Afree ycirculation of dry coldv air in the ice receptacle and from the same through the cold air iue 17 into the preserving orstorage chamber. The ventilatin g fines 31 are wholly separated from the ice receptacle 11 by the intervening :partition 27 in `such manner that :in yVentilating the storage chamber nozwarm moist` air can gain access to the refrigerant material. A greater saving of'ice and a lowertemperature are thus permitted than is possible in other than a dry. cold atmosphere.

The form of the ventilator opening` 29- shaped like aninverted funnel with its upper orsmaller diameter not` :more than-one fifth of its lower diameter-prevents displacement of the colder randheavier air in the refrigerator by the warmerand-lighter external atmosphere. It is preferable to curve the upper corners or angles of the lines 30 IOC and 81 by giving a curvature at these points to the partition 27, as shown, thereby avoiding any tendency to obstruction of currents as is likely with corners constructed at right angles. By constructing the top of the partition 27 with the double incline 28 extended upward into the ventilator opening 29 a guide is provided to prevent contact of opposing air currents that would have a tendency to check Ventilation.

The improvements herein described are equally applicable in the construction of permanent cold storage warehouses or cooling rooms or to refrigerators of a portable type. For use in market stores and similar places the refrigerator casing 7 may be constructed with an offsetting lower portion 37, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to give increased capacity to the preserving or storage chamber Without yincreasing the width of the overhead ice receptacle.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. The combination with a cold storage structure having a storage chamber, a refrigerant chamber,aventilator opening in its upper part, and flues leading, respectively, from the storage chamber to the refrigerant chamberand ventilator opening, of a movable valve located and supported within the cold storage structure and movable into one position for closing the flue leading to the ventilator openingand into another position for opening said line leading to the Ventilator opening and closing the flue leading tothe refrigerant chamber, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a cold storagestructure having a ventilator-opening in its upper part and a preserving or storage'chamber in its lower part, of a receptacle for refrigerating material intermediate thev storage chamber and Ventilator opening, a partition located above and at the sides of the receptacle for refrigerating material, warm air iiues leading on the inner side of said partition from the storage chamber to the upper part of the receptacle for refrigerating material, Ventilating iiues on the outer side of said partition for conducting warm moist air from the storage chamber to the ventilator-opening, Valves located at the lower ends of the Ventilating tlues, and a cold air flue leading centrally from the receptacle for refrigerating material downward to the storage chamber, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a cold storage chainber having an inverted funnel shaped Ventilator-opening in its top, and a preserving or storage chamber in its lower part, of a receptacle for refrigerating material intermediate the storage chamber and Ventilator opening, a partition located above and at the sides of said receptacle and provided on its upper side with a double inclined guide projection extended partly into the Ventilator-opening, warm air lues leading on the inner side of said partition from the storage chamber to lthe upper part of the receptacle for refrigeras described.

4. The combination in a cold storage structure having a Ventilator-opening in its top and a storage chamber in its lower part, of an ice rack intermediate the storage chamber and ventilator opening, a drip pan or traylocated below the ice rack and provided with a central cold air flue, a hood located above said flue, warm air flues leading from the storage chamber to the upper part of the ice rack, Ventilating iues for conducting Warm moist air from the storage chamber to the Ventilator-openin g, and valves located at the lower ends of the Ventilating iues and adapted to control said Warm air flues and Ventilating dues for alternate or combined ventilation and refrigeration of the storage chamber, substantially as described.

5. The combination in a cold storage structure, of a storage chamber located in thelower portion of said structure, a receptacle for refrigerating material located in the upper part of the structure below a ventilator-opening in the top of the structure, a partition between said receptacle and the top and sides of the outer casing, Ventilating lines on the outer side of said partition to conduct Warm moist air from the storage chamber to the Ventilator-opening, and valves movable across the lower ends of said Ventilating tlues to control the ventilation and refrigeration of the storage chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We have lhereunto Set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- OZRO l-I. BURNHAM.

JNO. J. MEYERS. Vitnesses:

KATE S. HOWARD, M. L. WURrs.

IOO 

